Telephone service is supplied using a distributed architecture that employs a collection of resources each of which exposes a hierarchical namespace. The architecture includes two fundamental resource types, the device server and the call coordinator, which are interconnected by a network employing a common protocol, e.g., TCP/IP. The interaction between the various resources follows “client-server” principles to implement end-to-end communication. Device servers represent physical/logical telephone devices, which include a) end-point device servers and b) gateway device servers. End-point device servers 1) represent controls for communication, such as keypads, indicator lamps, and displays, and 2) perform media rendering, e.g., voice digitization, transport, and reconstruction. Gateway device servers have two “sides”. One side is implemented to appear to a call coordinator as if it were a device server, and the other side has an interface adapted to interwork with a preexisting island of telephone service. In the term “device server”, “server” is used in the conventional manner of the “client-server” architecture, where the server serves request from the clients and does not take action unless it is in response to a client request. A call coordinator functions in the role of the “client”. The device servers are unaware of communication state, which is maintained by the call coordinator and exposed as a hierarchical namespace. The call coordinator treats the processing of a call as a sequence of steps each of which can be implemented by a small piece of computer executable code called a “feature applet”.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for providing telecommunications services, comprising: a device server; and a call coordinator being coupled together via a data network in a client-server arrangement; wherein said call coordinator is adapted to request at least one service from said device server and is adapted to maintain communication state; wherein said device server is adapted to represent telephone devices and is one of the group consisting of end-point device servers and gateway device servers, wherein said end-point device servers are adapted to perform a function from the group consisting of representing controls for communication and performing media rendering, and wherein each of said gateway device servers has two sides, a first of said sides is adapted to appear to said call coordinator as if said first side were a device server and a second of said sides has an interface adapted to interwork with at least one type of preexisting telephone service; CHARCTERIZED in that said device server is the server in said client-server arrangement and said call coordinator is the client in said client-server arrangement; and in that said call coordinator is adapted to expose said communication state as a hierarchical namespace for use in processing calls through said system for providing telecommunications services.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said device server is an end-point device server.
3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said end-point device server is a phone device server.
4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said device server is a gateway device server.
5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said gateway device serveris a line device server.
6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said gateway device server has a first interface for controlling an aspect of legacy telephony service and a second interface which appears to said call coordinator as a device server.
7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator is adapted to execute feature applets.
8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator is adapted to coordinate call processing through execution of feature applets.
9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator coordinates call processing through feature applets, at least one of said feature applets not be executed by said call coordinator.
10. A method for providing telecommunications services, in a network comprising a device server; and a call coordinator; the method comprising coupling together said device server and call coordinator by a data network in a client-server arrangement; wherein said call coordinator which is adapted to request at least one service from said device server and is adapted to maintain communication state; wherein said device server is adapted to represent telephone devices and is one of the group consisting of end-point device servers and gateway device servers, wherein said end-point device servers are adapted to perform a function from the group consisting of representing controls for communication and performing media rendering, and wherein said gateway device servers have two sides, a first of said sides is adapted to appear to said call coordinator as if said first side were a device server and a second of said sides has an interface which is adapted to interwork with at least one type of preexisting telephone service; CHARACTERIZED BY: said coupling being performed so that said device server is the server in said client-server arrangement and said call coordinator is the client in said client-server arrangement; and by exposing said communication state as a hierarchical namespace by said call coordinator for use in providing said telecommunications services.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 5, 1998
May 20, 2003
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